WHAT’S NEW?

1. There will be no more McCourt drama. The divorce/ownership saga between Frank and Jamie McCourt has dragged on for more than two years, and, finally, neither will have any authority when it comes to the team for the 2012 season. That’s the plan, at least, with an April 30 deadline for the sale of the franchise to be completed to a new ownership group that includes NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson and longtime baseball executive Stan Kasten.

2. The Dodgers spent some money. Dodgers fans and players hoped general manager Ned Colletti would be allowed to make a major free-agent signing over the winter. But that was never really a possibility because Colletti’s hands were tied in regard to spending big money on anyone outside the current roster—the team’s reported $160 million offer to Prince Fielder was nowhere near what he eventually received from the Tigers. Instead, Colletti refuted the idea that there was any bad blood between the team and Matt Kemp, signing him to an eight-year, $160 million extension before Kemp could hit free agency after the 2012 season. Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw is still a long way from free agency, but he was arbitration-eligible this past offseason and signed a two-year deal for $19 million.

3. Expectations are relatively low. After consecutive trips to the NLCS in 2008 and 2009, 2010 was a disappointing year for the franchise. But at the start of last season, hope and expectations remained high in Southern California. The team tanked, and it was an accomplishment just to finish three games over .500. This season, expectations are curbed until new ownership is firmly in place and can set a vision for the franchise.

PROJECTED LINEUP

1. SS Dee Gordon. He was a pleasant surprise after his June call-up last year, hitting .304 with a .325 on-base percentage.

2. 2B Mark Ellis. He hit much better after he was traded from Oakland, where his slugging percentage was .290 last season, to Colorado (.392).

3. CF Matt Kemp. After underachieving in 2010, he had an MVP-caliber 2011 with a .324 average and a league-leading 39 homers and 126 RBIs.

4. RF Andre Ethier. Injuries limited his production to 11 homers in 2011, his lowest total since his rookie season, but his .368 on-base percentage was solid.

5. 1B James Loney. He was disappointing for the majority of the season, but he hit .357 with eight home runs in August and September.

6. LF Juan Rivera. He hit .274 with five home runs and 46 RBIs in 62 games last season after coming to L.A. from Toronto.

8. C A.J. Ellis. Over four years, he has played 87 major league games with a .392 on-base percentage and .769 OPS. The Dodgers want that for a whole season in 2012.

PROJECTED ROTATION

1. LHP Clayton Kershaw. A Cy Young and Gold Glove came after these league-leading numbers: 21 wins, a 2.28 ERA, 248 strikeouts and a 0.98 WHIP.

2. RHP Chad Billingsley. He made one more start than he did in 2010 but threw fewer innings, had fewer strikeouts and walked more batters in 2011.

3. LHP Ted Lilly*. With 33 starts and nearly 200 innings in 2011, he was durable and reliable. His 3.97 ERA was so-so. This spring, he was slowed by a sore neck.

4. RHP Aaron Harang. A 3.64 ERA and 14 wins look good, but pitching at Petco Park, where he did with the Padres last season, can skew a pitcher’s numbers.

5. LHP Chris Capuano. If nothing else, in 2011 he proved he can stay healthy after missing two years following elbow surgery. But a 4.55 ERA and 1.35 WHIP aren’t great.

PROJECTED CLOSER

RHP Javy Guerra. After taking over closing duties in late May as a rookie last season, he recorded 21 saves and had a 2.31 ERA.

SCOUT’S VIEW

Strengths: “This is easy: They have the best pitcher in the league and the best player in the league. You can say so-and-so is better, but no one team has a case for each. We’ve all known Kershaw was going to be this good, but what Kemp has done is remarkable, especially after the year he went through (in 2010). And his numbers weren’t that horrible, but knowing what he’s a capable of, it made you wonder if he was a head case. So, as a baseball man, seeing his maturation last season was nice.”

Weaknesses: “Outside of Kemp and Kershaw, just about everything is wrong. They have Ethier, and Loney was good for a bit at the end of the year, but that lineup doesn’t scare anyone and after Kershaw, the rotation and bullpen is spotty. They are really feeling the effects of what McCourt did to them in terms of a bare roster and bare farm.”

BOTTOM LINE

This is mostly a two-headed team: There is Kemp and Kershaw and little behind them. They don’t have the pitching to carry a low-scoring offense, and the offense doesn’t score enough to give the pitching any kind of cushion. Still, with those two players and a bit of help, the Dodgers should finish in the middle of the division.